Bills commit 14 penalties in 37-31 loss to Pats

New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty (32) celebrates with safety Steve Gregory (28) after he intercepted a pass in the end zone against the Buffalo Bills in the last minutes of an NFL football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. The Patriots won 37-31. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty (32) celebrates with safety Steve Gregory (28) after he intercepted a pass in the end zone against the Buffalo Bills in the last minutes of an NFL football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. The Patriots won 37-31. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) pulls off his helmet after throwing a fourth-quarter interception during their NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. The Patriots won 37-31. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)— AP

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) pulls off his helmet after throwing a fourth-quarter interception during their NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. The Patriots won 37-31. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) walks off the field after their 37-31 loss to the New England Patriots in an NFL football game at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)— AP

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) walks off the field after their 37-31 loss to the New England Patriots in an NFL football game at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. 
Buffalo's offense had no trouble moving the ball on New England's defense Sunday.

The Bills just went in the wrong direction far too often.

Despite setting a franchise record with 35 first downs and racking up a season-high 481 yards of offense, the Bills committed 14 penalties and turned the ball over three times, derailing any chance they had at upsetting the first-place Patriots, who narrowly escaped with a 37-31 victory.

"We go into every game expecting to win, but that one, I just felt like it would have been right," said Buffalo receiver Stevie Johnson. "But this ain't no Disney movie. This is real life and we've got to make these plays at the end of the game and win.

"I'm tired of just coming up short."

The Bills (3-6) fell to 2-23 in their last 25 games against New England (6-3) and 0-11 at Gillette Stadium.

And this time, they have only themselves to blame.

The 14 penalties were the most by the Bills since totaling 15 against Minnesota on Oct. 1, 2006, and the 148 penalty yards were the second-most in team history, trailing only the 159 accrued against the Boston Patriots in 1970.

The opening sequence defined the rest of Buffalo's afternoon, too.

After marching 20 yards on four plays to begin the game, the Bills went from a third-and-one at their own 40 to a third-and-21 after a pair of false starts and a holding call.

"The penalties were unbelievable," said Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was 27 of 40 for 337 yards with two touchdowns. "When you're looking at it offensively, having a third-and-one and all of sudden going to third-and-21 . just can't have it.

"We were able to overcome some of them, but there were just too many yellow flags out there for us today."

Fitzpatrick was stripped of the ball while being sacked on the ensuing possession, leading to a 1-yard touchdown run by Stevan Ridley, and running back Fred Jackson ripped off a 12-yard run early in the fourth before fumbling on the New England 1.

"It's something we talked about going into the game, not giving their offense more opportunities than what they deserve," Fitzpatrick said. "Unfortunately that fumble was a big turning point, essentially giving them seven points early in the game. That's something that I guess we weren't able to overcome throughout the game."

The Patriots let a 17-3 lead slip to 34-31 with 7:47 left on Fitzpatrick's 2-yard pass to Donald Jones, and Buffalo then held New England to a 27-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

The Bills quickly moved to the New England 15 before Fitzpatrick threw the ball right into the hands of safety Devin McCourty while trying to hit T.J. Graham in the back of the end zone, ending any hope of a stunning win.

"I had every idea we were going to score and win the ball game by one," said Bills coach Chan Gailey. "That was my total thought. I just knew we were going to do that.